Armstrong addresses his own generation ("born into Nixon") and the next, as represented by his eldest son's anticipated high school graduating class ("the Class of 13"), but he doesn't pretend to have answers. He ventures only one piece of advice: "Silence is the enemy / Against your urgency," he brays in "Know Your Enemy." In other words, participate or perish.
The exuberant pop-punk of old has morphed into epic Who-style stadium rock, with thundering drums underpinning windmill chords and shout-from-the-rooftops choruses. Rock operas demand nothing less, and Green Day delivers.
- Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune
Games
Demigod ** (2 stars)
Available on Windows XP and Vista. Released by Stardock. Rated Teen. $39.99.
Demigod is nothing short of a supernatural smackdown.
The gods have cast down one of their own, and they seek a replacement from the ranks of demigods - powerful creatures that are more than mortal but less than true gods. The only way to settle the matter is trial by combat, with godhood going to the victor.
And that's about as much plot as Demigod has. The game is meant for the multiplayer world, much as the Battlefield series of shooting games is. And like them, the single-player modes are really only there as a way to practice for online battles in matches ranging from one vs. one to five vs. five.
Demigod was made by Gas Powered Games, which was behind the ambitious and complicated Supreme Commander and last year's lackluster Space Siege. This game is on the ambitious side as well but eschews much of the complication.
The goal of a match depends on the game type. In Conquest, it is to destroy the other team's citadel; in Fortress, it is to destroy several tough bunkers; in Slaughter, it is to kill a set count of demigods; and in Dominate, it is to control flags on the map for points, as in the "Battlefield" games.
- Justin Hoeger, McClatchy-Tribune
